On
November, 9th we left Aguascalientes
and had an easy ride to Guanajuato, just stopped for lunch at a Chicken place
which was obviously made for Gringos because for the same price you could have
5 chickens on the street…. Just sayin J We continued for another 30 minutes and
arrived in Guanajuato. The town is famous for very narrow roads which we tried
to avoid. The description said to take the panoramica road which we did, but
the wrong direction, so we had to drive 16km of up and down and crazy curves,
instead of 4km. We finally arrived (taking last street, a one way street on
wrong direction) and were happy to fit in this campground….. We would see more
problems like this soon. We setup camp which had a nice view from the hills, and
went for a little stroll to town, which was really nice. We had to use silver
mining tunnels that were build many year ago to get to the center of town. What
an amazing place that can’t be put into words. Guanajuato is nowadays a student
town, and everyone was relaxed, and enjoyed the markets and the life on the
street. We took a long walk and returned back to the camper. We met Claude and
Erika from Switzerland who are traveling since 14 years and Josh with family
who are only traveling with a tent. We will see them again.
On November 10th we started the day
with relaxation and went back to town in the afternoon. We enjoyed good food,
drinks and a beautiful atmosphere. To remember would be a cantina / bar we
visited last. Mezcal (like Tequila) was priced at 15 peso a shot which is about
a Dollar so the way back to the rig took a while.
On November 11th it was day 3 in this remarkable city, and we went again into to town to do some sightseeing, and visiting the Statue of Pipila (independence fighter), Union garden, Alley of the kiss, etc…. Very nice.
Impressions from Guanajuato:
On November 12th Time to move on. We
could have stayed another month here. We wanted to visit a vinery, Cuna de
Tierra, en Dolores Hidalgo, on the way to San Miguel de Allende, we stopped in
Dolores Hidalgo for breakfast and walked around the small town. Once we arrived
at the vinery, it was closed (even tough in the internet they did not say), and
said they only show the vinery by reservation…. So we moved on to San Miguel de
Allende, another colonial city, with a lot of galleries and a big American community.
The drive was a slow but painless …. Well until … We got to town and wanted to
get to a campground called Webbers, which is kind of famous among travelers
like us, but after we got lost and an American lady showed us the way we got
stuck in a narrow street and the entrance to the place was just to small for us
with all the cars parked on the street. The police came and we were told to try
again in 4 hours when there is less traffic and less cars parked on the street.
We were not happy with this statement and found another campground next to a
hotel outside of town which was very nice and we could just use the bus to go
to town http://www.ontheroadin.com/motel-san-ramon/
. We met Paul from Switzerland and Ana from Argentina, Paul was already
traveling since 11 years in his Iveco van and Ana joined him 6 years ago as his
wife J. He was very experienced about a lot of things and fun to
talk to. In the afternoon we went into town to stroll around and had a nice
happy hour at an American restaurant.
On the way to Dolores Hidalgo:
San Miguel de Allende:
On November 13th It was a relaxed
start into the day. After a late breakfast we decided to visit some natural hot
springs about 10km away. We tried to take the bus but no bus came by so we took
a taxi. The hot springs were rather small but we still enjoyed a nice hot bath.
What I (Robert) did not know at the time, was that I will regret that place.
Afterwards we took the bus in town and had dinner and some drinks before
returning back to the campground for the night. Of course we had to have
another conversation with Paul before going to bed.
Spa day in the countryside:
On November 14th we went to our next
destination called Querétaro, a colonial town, but grown to a big industrial
town. The drive was easy and we stayed at the Hotel Flamingo Inn, http://www.ontheroadin.com/flamingo-inn-rv-parking/,
where we met Kurt and Michel again. They had helped us to get the space as the
hotel was going to be full, for the independence weekend. We enjoyed the
relaxed atmosphere, cooked some German Schnitzel, and went early to bed.
At Javier and Christiane's place:
On November 16th I was sick with a flu
and lost my voice, I guess I caught it at the hot springs, so I had to stay in
bed while there was a parade for Independence Day going on. We went to town
after that for a while but I was too sick to enjoy it.
On November 18th . I felt a little
better so we went back to town to do some more sightseeing. We went to the
Santa Cruz convent (famous for their tress which had spines looking like a
cross, and the famous Aqueduct. We went home early so I could recover some more
before continuing to our next adventures.
Queretaro:
Independence day parade:
Continuing in Queretaro....
On November 19th. Our next
destination was El Rosario https://www.facebook.com/Santuario-de-la-Mariposa-Monarca-el-Rosario-131202373600797/.
The butterfly sanctuary, where the Monarch butterflies come to spend the
winter. To get there we had to drive up to 9000 feet / 3000 meter on a wild
road which was paved but in bad condition. I had an issue with the transmission
that over headed and tried to put us in higher gears even though the engine was
running on low RPM’s. I figured it has something to do with the modified chip
in the engine so I put it manually in second gear and all went fine. We stayed
on a parking lot next to the entrance to the park and went to bed early, hoping
the weather would improve the next day as it was foggy and cold, and looked
like Germany in November.
On November 20th. We packed up, walked to the entrance got a
guide which is necessary here and walked uphill to 10000f/3300m to see the
butterflies. What an experience…. It was unbelievable beautiful to see millions
of butterflies in trees and in the air. When the sun shines they all open their
wings to warm up or take off. On the way down we ate at a local place, Steffi
had a nice fresh trout and I had some famous Mole dish which was really good.
In the evening we met a family in a 1974 Volkswagen Westphalia, from Vancouver,
Canada, traveling south with their son (age 12). We had a nice chat and went to
bed…… to be honest I am happy that we have the space in the camper that we have
but we also have the problems with a camper which we will learn soon.
On November 21st. We left early
because we had a long way to drive to Teotihuacan, the famous pyramids, close
to Mexico City. It took us 2 hours for the first 50km before we hit the
highway. We stopped at Tula to see the ruins there but of course we took the
wrong way and first had some fun with the narrow roads in town. We continued to
Teoticuathan and had some difficulties to get to the campground through bad and
narrow roads and to be honest our navigation system is not much of a help
because it will show you the shortest way even if it is through a market place.
Eventually we made it enjoyed a nice evening with new and old friendsJ. http://www.ontheroadin.com/teotihuacan-rv-trailer-park/
Tule Aqueological Site:
On November 23rd. It was time for a
relaxing day with some washing and cleaning, ……. Just walking in the city and
relaxing.
Teotihuacan:
On November 24th. We took off at about 2 pm with
Randel and Pam and got an escort from the owner of the camp ground out of the
city which was nice since the police likes to make some money when you mistakenly
hit a one way street. We took the lead but shortly before Cholula we lost our
friends but we also had some trouble to find the campground http://www.ontheroadin.com/las-americas-rv-trailer-park/
so we arrived only an hour apart from each other. We went into town for dinner
and to enjoy the atmosphere and full moon.
Cholula:
On November 25th. We only stayed for a night because we wanted to go up the volcano Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl to Paso de Cortez. The distance was only 50km but it took us 2.5 hours ( 20km dirt road ) and the truck needed a big breath and an unbelievable amount of diesel because we went up to 11000feet or 3700meter and stayed for the night. We took a little hike, to see some waterfalls which we didn’t find, so we could get used to the altitude. Luckily we got a ride back to the camper by a nice Mexican family. http://ioverlander.com/places/5270-paso-de-cortes-visitor-center
On November 27th. We went back down to Cholula which took some time parked the camper in the same campground and took the bus to Puebla for sightseeing. Puebla is another colonial town, very colorful houses, and famous for the huge VW plant.
Puebla:
On November 28th. We took off early
to get to Tule/ Oaxaca where we arrived at a nice campground run by a Canadian
couple http://www.ontheroadin.com/overlander-oasis/.
Luckily we had reservations because they have only 5 places and lots of
customers. To get through Oaxaca on that day was a challenge because there was
a demonstration going on (teachers demonstrating that they don’t want to take a
test if they are capable of teaching….) and some streets were closed which
forced us to take a detour. We met Randel and Pam again, Claude and Erika also
came the next day and we met new friends from Virginia and Chis from Australia.
We had a good 4 days hanging around enjoying the food in town or just having a
good old party together. Well we also
went into Oaxaca …. I should mention because the campground is in Tule.
On the way to Oaxaca:
We went to dinner into town and visited the famous tree of Tule (apparently the biggest tree of the world, let’s say the widest J
Tule:
On November, 29th we slept in and in
the afternoon took a colectivo taxi (Robert and Steffi in the passenger seat in
front) to the famous market of Tlacolula. This market is enormous and offers
everything people produce in their ranch and what they need for their live. No
need for Wal-Mart J we bought a backpack full of fruit, vegetables, honey, etc.
Back in Tule we had a nice lunch in another restaurant together with lots of
other Mexican families enjoying their Sunday.
Market day in Tlacolula:
On November, 30th it was time to
drive to Oaxaca downtown (about 30min drive) which is a very nice town, with a
lot of indigenous people. 17 different tribes live around Oaxaca, which gives
this city a very special flair. We visited the cathedral, some markets, and
enjoyed watching the people in the streets and plazas. In the evening several
people got together to have some drinks… Robert and Chris from Australia were
the big party guys.
Oaxaca:
On December 1st, Robert claimed that
he needed a day off…. So Steffi went together with Pam and Randel to Monte
Alban, the famous Ruins on top of the mountain overlooking the valley from all
sides. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monte_Alb%C3%A1n
. It took us a while to find the bus to the ruins outside of Oaxaca, but we
still had time to enjoy the site for several hours and afterwards we went for a
drink to the main plaza in Oaxaca, before heading back to Tule.
Tule campground and car wash:
On December 2nd, it was time to move
on. Randel and Pam wanted to go to a famous restaurant in Teotitlan del Valle, Restaurante
Tlamanalli, about an hour west of Tule and we agreed to meet them there. We were going to
have a car wash for Blacky and Foxy first….. the car really looked shinny when
we picked it up, but it would not last long. On the way there the navigation
sent us through narrow unpaved streets so we were already stressed when we
arrived there. We met Pam and Randel and parked outside town and drove with a
small tuc tuc to the restaurant. Just to find out that it was closed (even
though it stated they open at 1pm). We walked around the small town to see if
it would open later. No luck, so we looked for the next restaurant in the street
and found a small family place to eat which was a lot cheaper and very tasty. Pam
bought a rug for their van, which are famous there as they dye the fiber naturally
with plants. On the way to Hierve el Agua http://ioverlander.com/places/5819-balneario-ojo-de-agua-tlacotepec
, a waterfall in stone, up in the mountains, we had a stop at a Mezcal place
and they told us how to produce Mezcal and we had a little sample. Then we went
up the mountain to an amazing place with natural pools. Unfortunately it was
too cold to swim but the view was really pretty. Claude and Erika where already
there, and we had a chat with our old /new friends.
Teotitlan:
On December 3rd, was going to be a rough day. We got up and walked down to see the waterfall and the pools. It was pretty windy, and the sun fought with the clouds, who would win. After the hike we drove to Mitla, about 1 hour drive, where we thought we would see the ruins and spend the night but then we decided with our friends Pam and Randel, to do the 185mile trip to Ojo de agua, on the Pacific, close to Salina Cruz….. which we never made. We drove for many hours through the mountains and about 50km before we reach our destination….. there is a road block. Some people are protesting about something nobody knows what it is…… it could be funny but we were stuck for 3 hours so it got dark and our destination was not reachable anymore. Best what we could do is go for a big gas station ( Pemax ) and park for the night.
On the way down to the valley:
Some more Mezcal in Mitla:
On December 4th. We got up early and
drove to Ojo de agua, a Balnerio, http://ioverlander.com/places/5819-balneario-ojo-de-agua-tlacotepec
, where we spend the day in the water with some friendly fish that liked to eat
our dead skin. What a pleasure that was.
We relaxed the rest of the day had some beers
and a nice meal at the local joint and prepared for the big jump to the Gulf
coast.
Sierra Madre and Ojo de agua
On December 5th. It was time to say
good bye to Pam and Randel, ready for the jump to the Gulf coast. The distance was
about 500km so we started on the paid highway. What we did not know is that
this highway is windy …. Very windy … so windy that the semi drivers called it
a day and stayed under a bridge. They even shut down the windmills, as the wind
could damage them. We tried our luck but that was brutal and we lost a vent
cover that was blown off the camper….. not to mention how badly we got pushed
off the road. After that we got a break for a while until we got into the
mountains which was another ride on bad roads, and it started to rain. Let’s
keep it at that and say we were happy to reach our destination that day which
was Villahermosa. Then it started to rain again … lots of rain.
The campground another balnerio was muddy and
full with mosquito, so we called it the day without entering to the facilities.
Wind in La Ventosa:
Driving through Chiapas:
On December 6th …. In Germany Santa Claus is coming …. We had a lot of rain and no vent cover in the bathroom which was bad so we tried to keep stuff dry but with no luck that day.
We continued to Isla Aguada which was a nice place on the water and the drive was over a couple of expensive bridges….. well at least for us as we have a dully and are paying at least double or triple on a toll road. We took camp for the night and tried to stay dry…. At least we got a good price with our Passport Americas membership. http://www.isla-aguada.com/
Bad weather in Tabasco and Isla Aguada:
Peregins for Mary Guadalupe:
On December 7th,
the rain calmed down and we continued to Campeche and went to a camp site which
had only electricity. Next was to find a solution for the vent so we went to
town to look for some kind of a replacement. We found a box that was big enough
so we went back and I mounted it over the vent. It looked funny but who cares. http://ioverlander.com/places/287-kin-ha
Mexican government giving away free Digital TVs... 
On December 8th, since we haven’t
seen a lot of the city we decided to stay another night but moved the camper to
a hotel parking lot where we could stay for the night. There were several
activities going on so we had lots of fun.
Campeche:
On December 9th. We went to see our
last ruins in Mexico (we had decided not to see Palenque, Tulum, Chichen Itza,
as we already had visited them previously). We went to Uxmal, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uxmal,
a famous Mayan city. We figured now we are in Yucatan, as we reached the
parking lot (we had to pay). The entrance fee was more the triple of average
ruin entrance (they make you pay for Federal and State government, with 2 people
checking the tickets just 20m next to each other…. Mexican bureaucracy).
Nevertheless we were impressed by the ruins and got swamped by the tropical
heat…. We needed to refresh and it was time for some Cenotes…. so we went to Cenotes
X Bakun. We arrived late so we only got to swim in one of them. It was very
refreshing. We were alone on the parking lot so it was a peaceful night. http://ioverlander.com/places/10724-cenote-x-batun
Cenotes
are caves with water created in the limestone rock. They are all over the
Yucatan peninsula. Some are underground, some are freshwater pools. The real
ones, caves, where used by the Mayans as holy places.
Uxmal:
Cenotes X Bakun:
On
December 10th, we continued to Merida, a city we visited before.
Since there a no RV places we got a hotel room for 180 peso that had a large
secure parking lot. We used the room to take a shower and the internet but
slept in the camper. Something funny was that the first room we had I used the
bath and the door lock was broken so I could not get out so Steffi had to get
help and the door had to be dismantled for me to get out. What an experience…
We walked to town ate something and enjoyed the atmosphere.
On
December 11th, Next stop was Cuzaman, famous for their 3 cenotes. We
had to take a train which was pulled by a horse. Very funny and the Cenotes
were very nice and the water as clear and blue as you can imagine. We returned
had something to eat and decided we could do one more cenote, so we went to the
next town Homun. They have 12 cenotes open to public, but the village has like
400 cenotes alone…. We decided on Hacienda San Antonio, where we could stay for
the night. We enjoyed the cenote in a cave, and in the evening we walked into
town and watched the celebration for the Guadalupe. The people are very
friendly here. http://www.revistaexplore.com/yucatan/explora/es/contenido-1-27/explore-homun/#.Vm8mrqRIhYc
3 cenotes - Cuzaman
Cenote Hacienda San Antonio/ Homun
On December 12th. We packed up and went to Izamal were we would stay for 3 days at a Hotel / RV park run by Harald, an Austrian guy. Unfortunately there were no other Overlanders around. Of course I had to fix the vent cover again because the box got knocked off by a tree. I should mention that driving on the county roads is an experience by itself and takes a lot of patience. Either you have pot holes or low hanging trees or the road is only as wide as our rig but it is a two way road which makes the passing process very interesting. Than you get to a town which has a shitload of topes and closed roads which only locals know how to get around. At least a one way sign is actually only a suggestion J http://ioverlander.com/places/904-izamal-camping-at-hacienda-santo-domingo
On December 13th We relaxed went back into town to do some shopping and on the way back we stopped at the Wein Amt run by Bibi from Vienna. We had some beers and bought bread that she made herself. Than it was time to finally update the Blog which took all evening.
